Axle for tramway, railway, and other vehicles



P. ALGRAIN AXLE FOR TRAMWAY, RAILWAY, AND OTHER VEHICLES Feb. 15, 1927. 1 1,618,040

Filed Q01. v, 1926 Cil Patented Feb. i5, i927,

UNITE-Mieres PAUL Anomalia. on LA CRQYERE, BELGi-uiii.

AXLn'rort TRAMWAY, RAILWAY, 4anni vofriinia VEHICLES..

Application filed Octoberr 7, 1926, Serial No. 140,116, 'and in `rGreat Britain October 9, 1925.

The invention has reference to axles for the wheels of tramway vehicles and other railway vehicles, but is applicable also vto the axles of the wheels of other vehicles.y

' AInirail `vehicles actually in use, the wheels are generally secured toa one-piece (usually solid) axle with the result that when the vehicle is travelling on a curved part of the track the outside wheels slide or grind on the/rail?V l further,7 lthis slidingV or grinding ofthe outside wheels results in objectionable Vwear o f the railand ofthewheel tyres and' flanges and time fi5 torsional3strain on the @X18 which. may result in fracture of the.

same. Moreover, vtheslidin'g or grinding of 'the'w 'eelsfon`V he rail is objectionable be-l cause it results ini discomfort *of the passengers the vehicle.y

mentioned disadvantages axles have been proposed "comprising afmal'e member'and a 'female'"inembero'n' each of which a wheel is iixe'd; theY said members'tting the one withthe lother and 'freely'v rotatable relatively that the present invention'-v relates.

AAccording" to the invention longitudinal displacement' ofthe male and female membody'located 'Within the female member @bers relativelyt each other 'is prevented by `abutr'nents 'onev of which is constituted by a and capable of easy' `accurate adjustment means whereby it is locked after adjustment. In 'order to'prvide'ffor eiiicierit""lubrication abutment memberv and bearingsleeyes interposed between the male and female members so that all parts rotating relatively lto cachy y"ther cnnfbe *fed withlubricantfiinder pressure." '1 z the case ofV a driven '.axle.,A poweris traii'smitted tothe two members of the axle bi. wheels thereof. e g Fig. "1" of i the accompanying drawings tion a wheel axle embodying the invention.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section correspondy 'inor to the line A; B, of Fig. 2.

1 le aderen axle,

vuid the driving means shown `and energy is thus absorbed and `To avoid the above-v andfis'-associated with suitableV "a differential gear located between the consists of a diiferential gear-comprising a spur wheel, but it will be understood the drive could beeifected bybevel or helicoidal toothed wheel `or any other suitable drive transmitting gear. It is also to be`noted that the position of the diHerential gear yrelatively to lthe railv wheels of the axle' is unimportant and that in the case of a nondriven axle' the differential gear is omitted. The axle illustrated comprises-'a male and female member i the male member '1" having a cylindrical lportion onwhich is fixed the 'wheel 2,7anda truncatedY conical portion. The female or tubular 'member 3' on which is secured 'the other wheel 4, embraces the tapered portion 'of the 'male memberV 1 fand it is preferably of cylindrical formon'its exterior whilstits interior or bore is of conical' form to correspondwi'th' the tapered portion of the male member.

Two bearing sleevesf and'vvlocatedat the two ends of the"ftapered portionf'of theV male V member effect the transversal recip- 'rocal' supporting of the male and female m'einbe'rs'of the axle'.l This method of-supporting'the male Yand femalemembersof,

'theaxle enables the-said two" members 'to be given cross sections offeolualv resistance and of complementary j shapes "fitting into eachother so that"` the sizef and 'weightof the vcompleteA axle do not'excee'dthoseof an ordinary onejpiecefaxle. f

Longitudinall interposed outwardly* extending flange of thebearingsleeve 5, A'andfat'its'other end longitudinal movement" is 1prevei'ited'- by a f y95.

vformed 'therefoiffin o f"theffemale y Efficient lubrication ofthe 'said bearings kand abutments is effected underpressui'e fand for thispii'rposethe"outer'end ofthe' illustrates Lin longitudinal sectional eleva" female memberY dis closed tightly by a cover `plate 16 secured thereto by screws 17,V a joiiiting ring r18 "of" suitable material being interposed.r` yFitting "centrally in the cover plate 16 is afitting '19y through whichY lubricant may be forced underfpressu're into the space between-fthe end lofthe cylindrical nut "le axle illustrated way of example-v 'iefjendthe' @ever pieter ie. 'neem this ep-eee the liibfiefiet feiis ;.eleee` hehels1formel the" 'female or* tubular member abuts at itsfiiiner'en'd against av 1 shoulder 7 ofthe male memberfthrough an theaxl'e isI formed with lubricant channelsA orgrooves' extending'along the cylindrical by grooves-V in the periphery of the nut 15, see the dotted lines in Fig. 2, the ends rof these channels communicating with radial grooves formed in the inner end of the nut 15. From these radial grooves lubricant passes into the annular space between the cylindrical extremity of the male member 1 and the female member. The bearing sleeve G'secur-ed onthe lmale member at the outer end of thev tapered portion thereof is, in like manner to the cylindrical nut 15, formed with peripheral and radial grooves which allow the passage of the lubricant tothe space between: the tapered portion of the male member 1 and the corresponding con.- ical borey of the female member 3. The bearing sleeve 5 at the larger end of the tapered portion of the male member is similarly formed with peripheral and radial grooves which allow the lubricant to pass Y to thel surface of contact ofthe hub of the spur driving` wheel 12 and the lubricant Vthen serves to lubricate the gears ofthe differential. The differential gear may be enclosed in a suitable lubricant-tight casing not shown. y y j For the purpose Vofenabling the cylindrical nut 15 to be conveniently adjusted and toy lock the said nut after ladjustment; locking-.means are provided. A series of holes 2O is bored ypartly in the nut and partly in the end portion of the male member 1, see Fig. 3. These holes receive pins 21. which lock the nut against rotary movement.v The half holes bored in the yextrem- Yity of the male member 1 are disposed on two diameters the angles of which are so chosen as to enable the nut to be adjusted withgreat accuracy. The pins 21 are prevented from movingv endwise by heads 22 .with which the pins. are furnished abutting- Vagainst the cover plate 16'.

The differential gear illustrated in the' drawing comprisesa'drivingspurwheel 12 'to whichA power is transmitted from the motor-shaft, tvvosun wheelsI 9 and 10 fixed.

one on the male member 1 of the'axle` and thev other on .the female member 3 thereof,

and planet pinions 1-1"whose radial axles -Kare mounted onthe spur wheel 12.

; The. vehicle may be supported yon the axle journals 13 or by` inner jourmay4 be made without departure from the invention, and whilst the improved axle is principally applicable-to railway and tramway vehicles it may also be used with advantage on motor-cars andA other vehicles as will' be understood. What .I claimisfz-Y 1. An axle forthe rolling stock of tramway, railwayxand other vehicles, comprising., a female member, ama-le member mounted to rotate freely within said female member,

a female member, a male member mounted to rotate freely within said female member, wheels fixed one onl said male) member and one on said female vmember, abutments that prevent relative longitudinal movement of saidmale and female members one of said abutments beingv constituted by a cylindrical nut screwed on said male member within female member, and means adapted to lock saidV adjustable. abutment after adjustment thereof. v

3. An axle for the rolling `stocliof tramway, railway and other vehiclesk comprising a maleimember having a cylindrical portion on which one' of the wheels is fixed and` a truncated conical portion embraced. by a female or tubular member on which the other wheel is secured, the said female member havinga tapered bore corresponding, to

that of the conical portion. of the male mem- Y 4t. An axle as claimed inclaim l constructed ywith lubricantchannels or grooves extending along the cylindrical abutment- Amemberandv bearing sleeves interposedbetween the'male and femalefmembers soi that all parts rotating relatively to each other can be fed with lubricant under pressure.`

5. An axleas claimed in claim 1 arranged as a driven axle to which the driveis transmitted; through differential .gear connected to the saidmale andi female members between thesaid wheels .that are fixed thereon.

6. An axle as claimed in claim?) comprising.' an end plate thatcloses `the outer end .of the female member, a fitting carriedlby saidfend plate and'through which lubricant can be forced under pressure to thebo're of the said female member and thence to all relatively rotatingparts of the axle and to differential gear,.if any, mounted thereon.

Y '7. An axle as claimed in lclaim2 wherein the means for locking: the adjustable-abutmentv nut comprise pins adaptedk to engage holes of which a series is bored partly in the said .nut and partly in the end portion of,

' member.

8, An axle comprising a central axle member provided with a journal and a road wheel, a tubular axle member rotatable on the central axle'member and also provided with a journal and a road Wheel and having an internal shoulder at one end portion, a plate closing the said end portion, and an abutment member secured -to the central axle member and arranged between the said shoulder and plate. Y

9. An axle as' set forth in Claim 8, and provided also with means oradjusting the bearing of the ends of the abutment mem@ ber with relation to the said shoulder and plate. l v y l0. An axle VComprising a Central axlemember provided With a journal and having a road Wheel secured on one end portion and having its other end portion tapered, a tubular axle member also provided with a journal and having a road Wheel secured on one end portion and havingvits other endV portion lcorrespondingly tapered so asto slide.

over the tapered part of the Central Vaxle member, and means arranged between the from sliding With respect to each other.

ysaid axle members and preventing them' In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

PAUL` ALGRAIN; 

